I welcome you to the inaugural issue of what we hope becomes a regular and valuable part of your genealogical research diet. We hope Molecular Connections becomes a way for you to connect more easily with the SMGF project, with your ancestors and living relatives, and with tens of thousands of fellow family historians around the globe.

The dramatic progress of the SMGF project over the past few years has been especially exciting to watch, as our initial vision of what could be accomplished with genetic genealogy has begun to unfold before our eyes.

From my earliest discussions with Dr. Scott Woodward nearly seven years ago, I could see the tremendous benefit this technology would provide in accelerating family history research. But its reach goes far beyond extending family lines and pedigrees. As we begin to understand - through the power of DNA research - the close connections we share as members of the total human family, we unlock the potential for bringing all of humankind closer together in the spirit of compassion, cooperation and peace. Those sentiments we typically reserve for immediate family can now traverse an extended genetic family tree to break down barriers and bring the world closer together in ways we never dreamed possible.

Whether you are new to the concept of molecular genealogy or already well-versed, we hope you will find Molecular Connections useful, and perhaps something that you'd like to pass along to a friend or colleague. We welcome your comments and suggestions at any time, and invite you to join us in helping build the world genetic family tree, one branch at a time.

Again, welcome, and happy reading!

James LeVoy SorensonFounderSorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation

An Introduction to the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF)

Few people on earth would deny the fact that somehow, somewhere in the distant past we all hail from common ancestors. But, many are shocked at genetic scientists' recent findings (using DNA analysis) that show these common relationships aren't as far back or as distant as you might first think.
click here for full article

Sorenson Database

The Sorenson Database is the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of correlated genetic and genealogical data for helping people research their ancestral roots. Searching the Sorenson Database is free and open to the public over the Internet. Currently, two sets of data are available for searching.

The first, our Y-chromosome database, contains over 15,000 haplotypes with more than 9,000 unique surnames. This represents ancestors from 106 countries and is a useful tool for searching paternal relationships.

The second, our mitochondrial DNA database contains close to 5,000 sequences with more than 5,000 unique surnames representing ancestors from 77 countries. This new and exciting addition to our searchable databases provides a powerful tool in researching and verifying maternal relationships.

The Sorenson Database continues to expand at a rapid pace as The Foundation collects DNA samples and correlated genealogies from around the world. For more information on how to help with this effort, please visit our website.
click here to learn more

A Little Success Story

The Little family of southeastern Georgia had a long tradition of having roots in Scotland, though traditional genealogical records were unable to prove the case.
click here to read more

Get Involved

Becoming a donor is free, simple and makes an invaluable contribution to the success of this project. The DNA sample is obtained through a simple, painless mouthwash method in the privacy of your own home - no needles, expensive equipment or trips to a lab required. Your sample and four generations of genealogy (more if you have them) will be protected by the highest levels of confidentiality and privacy.
click here to become a donor today